Missing from the Maze
by octogirl
Summary: Newt is captured out of the Maze, and finds himself in one of WICKED's labs. They run excruciating ' tests' on him and another girl who is there as well. Meanwhile, without him the Gladers begin to pull apart. Without unity, the Glade will fall, and things could end up getting deadly. Can they find him before total chaos breaks out?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So for this one, Thomas and Teresa are accepted by Alby, Newt, and Minho faster than they were in the book. I only did that so the story could have all of the main characters as a big part in it, and focus on the storyline instead of Thomas and Teresa being accepted. So yes, Thomas is allowed in the Maze with Minho. Also, I haven't watched, or read the Maze Runner in a while, so some things in here might not be in order, or 100 percent accurate, so I appologize for that. I tried to keep everything true to the book, but I make no promises. Which reminds me...This is based more off of the book instead of the movie. They both are pretty similar, so I don't think that it makes a super huge difference, but just so you guys know. This does contain some spoilers if you haven't read th Scorch Trials yet...So just beware. Ok, last thing. This is my first story with and OC, so please let me know what you think of her. I guess I have a few OC's in here, but the girl is my biggest one. The others are just fillers. Ok, now I'm done. Sorry. That was alot. Now on to the story! Enjoy!**

* * *

The hot sun beat down on the Maze. Sweaty boys were running around the Glade in groups, calling and shouting. There was a desperate search going on. One that required everybody to stop what they were doing, and go join. One of them had been taken. But not just one of them...A very important one of them.

Chuck burst through the door of the Homestead, and bent over, breathing quite heavily. He had stopped infront of a group that was sitting in a circle in the middle of the room. The group looked up at Chuck, desperate looks across their faces.

" Well? " Thomas asked anxiously.

Chuck took one more moment to catch his breath, then fully stood up. " They found a trail of blood by the south door."

" What?! "

" How much blood? " Alby asked in his typical monotone voice. Deep down, though, he was worried sick. His best friend, Newt, had been missing for two days now. And missing here... Let's just say that that's really bad.

" It's not alot, " Chuck replied. " Not enough to claim him dead. "

" Oh, yeah. Except for that he's missing! And the trail is by the south door! Which means that he's probably in the Maze! " Gally exclaimed in his sarcastic, and ' I'm gonna kill you ' type of way. " But no, that's not enough to claim him dead. " He was a rock on the outside, but deep down, he was concerned. Newt was the most tolerable person in the Glade.

" Gally, " Alby said. He didn't need to say more, because his tone said it all.

" Well it doesn't mean that he's one hundred percent for sure dead, " Teresa added.

Gally blew her off. She was new, and had no clue what the Maze was like. He just shot her a threatening glare, which she blew off. These boys didn't scare her. At least not any more.

" I'll take a search party first thing tomorrow morning, " Minho stated. He had been quiet the whole time until now.

" Alright, " Alby replied after a short moment of thinking about it. " Chuck, go tell everyone to come in for the night. "

It had gotten pretty late. The doors would be closing soon, and the Grievers would be coming out. Chuck took off again to round everybody up. Soon everyone was filiong into their sleeping areas. Sweaty, hot, and disappointed that Newt hadn't been found yet. Alby, of course, was the most disappointed, and the most worried. What if they were right? What if Newt was dead?

* * *

Beep! Beep! Beep! Newt's eyes blinked open, and the loud beeping filled his ears. He got a sharp pain in his head, which caused him to wince. Whether it was from the beepingor being knocked out by the Griever, he really didn't know. Wait. Griever? Beeping? It all came back to him at once. He wasn't in the Glade anymore. A Griever had shot something at him by the south door. Now he's strapped down on a medical table, with iv's and other things hooked up to him. Or was he hooked up to them? He had no idea what was going on, or where he was. All that he remembered was the Glade and the Maze. And this was definitely neither of those.

He lifted his head up as much as he could, and looked around. It kind of looked like a lab. If he remembered right what a lab looked like. The whole brain wash thing was so complicated as to what you remember, and what you don't. Machines, cords, and wires lined the walls and ran all over the room. Then something caught his attention.

A metal rack was against he wall, with wire connected to it. but that's not what had brought his attention. A young girl, probably a couple years younger than him, was strapped to the rack. Her wrists and ankles were tied down just below each corner. She was still unconcious, and Newt felt really bad for her, because her shoulders were really going to hurt when she wakes up. She was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. She had deeply tanned skin, long wavy dark brown hair with a blue highlight just behind her bangs, and a muscular yet petite build. Newt hadn't seen a girl in years, ( with the exception of Teresa of course ), But that wasn't the only reason he thought she was beautiful. She just was.

A few minutes later, Newt noticed the girl start to stir abit. Her eyes slowly started to open. They were a very unique, chestnut color. Newt had never seen eyes that color before. At least he was pretty sure that he had never seen eyes that color before. But they were beautiful on her. The girl seemed to look around and try to loosen up her neck. Then her gaze fell on Newt. They made eye contact, which Newt immediately broke. He was awkward when it came to looking people in the eye. Especially girls. He wondered if he was that way in his former life. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a quiet voice.

" Who are you? "

He looked back at the girl. She didn't seem scared. Just confused and nervous. So was he.

" I'm Newt, " he replied. " Who are you? "

" Esther, " she replied. " Where did you come from? "

" The Maze. What about you? "

Now she looked really confused. " That's not possible. "

Now Newt was confused, and he could feel it show through his face. " How is that not possible? "

She stared at him for a moment, then replied. " Because I'm from the Maze. "

 **So there' s chapter one. Sorry it was so short. The other chapters will be longer. Please review! I would love to know your oppinion on Esther so far. And the story. Thanks guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everybody! I don't have much to say for this one, so we'll just jump right in. Enjoy!**

* * *

Newt stared at Esther in confusion. The only girl in the Maze was Teresa. So how could this girl be from the Maze too? She couldn't be. It wasn't possible.

" You can't be, " Newt said. " The only girl in the Maze is Teresa. "

" I can be, and I am, " Esther replied. " I don't know who this Teresa is, or who you are, but I do know that I came from the Maze. Believe me...I wouldn't mistake that hell pit with anything. " She was really starting to get frustrated.

" Neither would I. Because I came from that bloody place. "

There was a long moment of silence. The two were glaring at each other, trying to piece it all together. How could she be from the Maze? Unless she was trapped, literally out in the Maze. But that was even less possible. There's no way she would have survived this long. No matter how skilled she might be. Newt had never seen anybody even last a night in the Maze. Unless...

" Wait, " he said. He didn't know why he said it, because there was nothing else that they could really do. Force of habit he supposed. " Do you think that there might be two Mazes? "

Esther thought about it for a moment, and slowly nodded her head. " That would make sense. What's yours like? "

" Umm, it's a big stone maze with us trapped in the middle. We call it the Glade. All of us have different jobs that we do to keep the place up and running. How about yours? "

" Same. We also call it the Glade. You said ' us '. Who do you mean? "

" All of the boys who got sent up. Except for Teresa. She was recently sent up, and it wasn't even time for the box to send up a greenie yet. "

Esther seemed to be thinking hard about all of this. Her eyes were focused on Newt as her head spun with questions that she was pretty sure he couldn't answer. " We had the same thing happen to us. Only it sent up a boy. Aris. "

They both stared at each other for a long moment. So there were two Mazes. One for boys, and one for girls. Both of them going through the same thing at the same time. What on earth is going on!? Newt's neck was getting tired and started cramping, so he laid his head back down on the table.

After about half an hour, the door opened and a lady in a lab coat with a clipboard walked in. She set the clipboard down on a table, and walked up to Newt. She had pulled a medical trolley over with her, and picked up a needle.

" What's that for? " Newt asked. He wasn't even close to being a wimp, but needles did tend to make him nervous.

" Don't worry, Newt, " the lady said in a gentle voice. She wiped a disinfectant wipe over his arm, and prepped the needle. " I'm just going to take a small sample of blood. "

" Really? Why not just through me to one of the bloody Grievers? " Newt snapped. " I thought that that's the way you take samples of blood. " He wasn't one to talk much, but this was the first time that he was seeing one of the creators, and he had a whole lot more he wanted to tell them. He was actually holding back right now.

The lady just let out a soft sigh. She didn't feel the need to reply. She poked the needle into Newt's skin, and filled the vile up. Then she filled another vile up. And another. And another, until she had filled ten viles up with his blood. She put a cap over the needle, and moved over to Esther, grabbing another needle. She took ten viles of Esther's blood, wrote some things down on the clipboard, and headed for the door.

" Wait, " Newt said. " Where are we? "

The lady stopped and turned around, with a soft, yet obviously annoyed smile. " Don't worry, Newt. You're safe here. "

" That doesn't answer my question. "

" You don't need the answer right now. "

Esther realized that this was going nowhere, so she posed a different question. " How long have we been here? "

" Two days. "

" Two days? " Newt repeated.

" The sedative lasted longer than expected. " The lady, realizing that she had said too much, quickly opened the door and left.

" Two bloody days, " Newt mumbled to himself. He hoped that nobody in the Glade had died trying to find him. He's not a prideful person, but he knew that they would be looking for him. They would do the same thing if anybody else went missing. It's just what the Gladers do. What their about. No man left behind.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to peak over the stone walls of the Maze. Minho, Thomas, and three other runners were waiting by the south gate. All of them were really hoping that they would find Newt. Preferably alive. Or at least something that would help them get closer to finding him.

There was a loud rumble, and the walls began to split, defying the laws of physics yet again. The group dashed through, with Minho in the lead. They sprinted between the massive walls, hurdled over large vines on the ground, and skid around sharp corners. Everyone had a sharp lookout for any signs of Newt. Or a Griever. But mainly Newt.

After an eternity of running, Minho stopped and called for a break. The group sat down against a wall, breathing heavy and chugging down lots of water. They had run longer than normal, and their legs were already feeling weak. Except for Minho's. But he could run all day, so he doesn't count.

After ten minutes of resting, they got back up and sprinted through the Maze. They ran as long as the first time before taking a second break. Still no sign of Newt. And, thankfully, no sign of any Grievers either. They ran and breaked two more times before signs of nightfall started showing.

They had stopped by a large patch of vines for their fourth break. They had heard the heart stopping cry of a Griever, but it was far enough away and there had been no sign of any after.

" That's it! " One of the runners exclaimed. " He's dead! It's been three days! He's dead! "

" Shush! " Thomas yelled in a whisper. " Are you trying to get us killed? "

" He's not dead, " Minho stated. He glanced up at the sky, then out at the Maze. " It's getting dark. We need to go. "

The group stood up, and sprinted back for the south door. They heard another blood curdling scream of a Griever, but it was pretty distant. The group still picked up the pace, though. The last thing they needed right now was for one of them to get stung. They ran through the south door, and Minho and Thomas continued to the Homestead. Alby, Teresa, and even Gally were anxious to hear what they had found. A simple shake of the head from Minho, though, told them everything.

* * *

 **So there's chapter two. Please please please review! I love to hear feedback from you guys! It also helps me get chapters up faster. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I don't think I have anything to say for this one, so we'll just jump right in again. Enjoy!**

* * *

A few hours had passed since the lady had come in to take their blood. Newt heard Esther take a deep breath, and readjust every once in a while. He couldn't imagine the discomfort that she must have been in. He wanted to swap with her, and give her shoulders a rest. But he couldn't.

" You ok? " He asked after hearing her readjust again.

" Yep, " she replied through a strained breath. Her chest had gotten tight from hanging, and it was hard to breathe.

" That wasn't very convincing. "

He heard her sigh, which ended up being more of a deep breath that got caught in her chest. " Just a little sore. " Her voice sounded even more strained than earlier. " But it's nothing I can't handle. "

Newt believed it. She was tough. Like, really tough. He just didn't want her to have to be right now. He wondered why they had put her in such an uncomfortable position, but let him just lay on a table. It didn't seem right. Not that any of this was. But still.

As Newt wondered about everything, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his calf. The pain continued to intensify, and move through his leg, but he was so busy thinking about everything else that he didn't give the pain much thought. At least until he heard Esther give a loud gasp.

" Newt! " She exclaimed. " Your leg! "

He strained his neck to see a silver point rising up, literally, out of the side of his calf. It was raising up from the bottom of the table, and making it's way through his calf next to the bone. It was so unreal that it took him a moment to realize what was happening, and for him to really feel the pain. It felt like a sharp lightning bolt had just shot through his leg when the pain did hit, though. He let his head fall back on the table, and his breathing got heavier. The more that reality hit him, the worse the pain got.

Blood covered his shin, and fell onto the table. It wasn't gushing, though, because of the metal spike that was in his leg. It acted as a sort of bandage that kept him from bleeding out. Newt's chest heaved up and down in shaky, labored breaths as the pain began to grow. He'd been stabbed plenty of times before, but he had never had something go in one side, and come out the other.

' At least it's on my bad leg, so I still have a good one, ' he thought to himself. One thing that he had learned in the Maze was that you had to find the good in things, or else your life would be a lot more depressing than it already was.

Esther stared at the metal sticking out of Newt's leg. Her eyes were wide, and filled with horror. What kind of sick trick was this? Were they trying to cripple him?

Newt attempted to even out his breathing. ' It's just a little stab, ' he told himself in his mind. ' Esther's been hanging there for hours, and you just got a little stab. You can take it. ' He tried to think about the other Gladers to take his mind off the sharp spike in his leg. He even thought about the Grievers, hoping that it would make this seem not as bad.

Just when his leg had finally gone numb, an intense burning sensation filled the wound. He felt something wet dripping onto his leg, and seeping between the spike and his skin. Newt lifted his head again to see liquid coming out of the metal. The burning continued to intensify, and he let his head fall back on the table. He knew, immediately, what it was. Salt water. His breath got caught as the metal that was _in_ his leg started releasing the water, pushing it deeper through the wound.

Esther noticed Newt stop breathing. She knew that he would pass out if he didn't breathe, and that would not be good. " Breathe, Newt, " she said, soft but firm. " Just keep breathing. We don't need you passing out right now. " She could see the liquid dripping out of the metal, and had a pretty good idea on what it was.

Newt let out a shaky breath. She was right. He couldn't afford to pass out right now. He had to stay strong. He really focused on breathing, and trying to hide the pain. He was not about to look weak. Especially if their captors were watching.

After about half an hour had passed, his leg had gone numb again. It still burned like hell, but it was also numb, which made it more tolerable. He could hear Esther mumble a few things under her breath every once in a while. He would also hear her readjust with a slight grunt.

" You still ok? " He asked.

Esther just stared at Newt. He was the one with the metal sticking out of his leg, and he was asking _her_ if she was ok? What kind of guy does that? " I'm not the one with the spike in my leg. "

" But your shoulders. "

'My shoulders? ' She thought. ' He has a metal spike through his leg, and he's worried about my shoulders? ' She lightly readjusted again. " They're fine. This is probably a stupid question, but how's your leg? "

" Fine, " he replied.

" Like I'm gonna believe that. "

" Then why did you ask? "

She was about to say something, but realized that she didn't know. That was a really stupid question. She just let out a sigh. " I don't know. "

* * *

Thomas was laying in his hammock, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. Then again, who could? He had heard Alby go outside, but instead of following, Thomas left him alone. He probably just needed some space. The night was quiet. At least as quiet as you can get in the Maze. The walls had stopped shifting, and the Grievers were actually fairly quiet tonight.

' _Thomas? Are you there? '_

Thomas perked up a bit. It was Teresa! He had wanted to talk to her, but hadn't know if she was asleep or not.

 _' Yeah. I'm here, '_ he replied. He had sunk into his mind, and just focused on communicating with Teresa.

 _' I'm scared, '_ she said. _' what if we don't find him? '_

 _' I'm scared too. But we'll find him. '_

 _' What if he's already dead? '_

 _' He's not. If I know one thing about newt, it's that nothing can kill him. I mean, he's already lasted this long. '_

 _' Maybe. But still. I'm worried about him. '_

Thomas could feel her anxiousness. _' It's gonna be ok. I promise. Just try to get some sleep. '_

 _' Ok. '_

Thomas felt Teresa leave. They were all worried about Newt. What if he was dead? That was the question on everyone's mind. But for whatever reason, Thomas just couldn't pull himself to believe it. They would find him. They had to. There was just something about Newt that kept the Gladers together. And Thomas could already feel the tension rising.

Gally had been getting worse, and talking with some of the Gladers. Some of the other Gladers had started to slack in their chores, and minor fights were breaking out. Yeah, Alby was the head, but Newt was the one that really kept everybody together and working.

If he isn't found soon...The Glade will fall apart.

 **So there's chapter three. Pleeeaaassse review! They are super helpful, and help me get chapters up sooner. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! So this is when we're really gonna start getting into the interesting stuff that the previous chapters have been building up to. So here it goes! As always, enjoy!**

* * *

Newt was half asleep when the door burst open, and a bunch of people in lab coats swarmed the room. He lifted his head up to see the people grabbing clipboards, and looking at files. An older lady dressed in white, with pale blond hair put up in a neat bun walked in. She walked straight up to Newt, and put a hand on his head. He tried to move away, but the restraints didn't let him.

" Don't be frightened, Newt, " the lady said. " You are safe here. "

" Safe here?! " Esther exclaimed. " Is that why there's a freaking metal spike in his leg?! Because we're safe here!? " She was really fuming. And nothing had even really happened yet.

" Calm down, Esther, " the lady said calmly. " We do regret needing to do that. But it had to be done. "

" Why? " Esther demanded.

" Well, see, that's complicated. I can't tell you everything, as that will ruin it. However, I can tell you that it is for the good of all people. "

" Don't give me that crap! You're literally killing us out there! And then you bring us here, put metal through his leg, and tell us that it's for the good of all people!? What? Do we not count as people? " She jerked on her restraints, but stopped and grimaced when it put more stress on her shoulders.

" Esther, " Newt said softly. Things didn't need to get any worse than they already were, and he didn't want her to dislocate her shoulders.

Esther calmed down, ( at least on the outside ), and just glared at the lady. Hate was boiling up inside her. Then again, she had hate for these people ever since she had waken up in the box.

" So who are you? " Newt asked through a strained voice. His leg had moved slightly which sent a shock of pain through his calf, and into his thigh. " And what is this place? "

The lady seemed to think about it for a moment, then put her hands on the table, and slightly leaned forward. " This is classified. I'm willing to tell you, but you have to promise me that you will not say a word of it to anybody. If you do, then one of your friends might disappear. Do you understand? "

Newt swallowed hard. A huge lump had formed in his throat. He slowly nodded his head, not breaking eye contact with the lady.

" That goes for you too, " she said, looking over at Esther.

Esther just glared at her, but gave a half nod. She hated these people, but she loved her fellow Gladers too much. Revenge would have to wait.

" Good, " the lady said. " My name is Ava Paige. You have already met Dr. Kashtin. This place is the World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department. Also known as WICKED. What we do here is classified for now, but you will perhaps find out one day. "

" So you're gonna let us go? " Esther asked.

" Yes. Back into the Maze. But first, we need to run some tests. "

" What kind of tests? " Esther was looking at the metal spike sticking out of Newt's blood covered leg.

Ava Paige didn't answer. " Always remember...WICKED is good. " With that, she turned around and left.

The scientists swarmed around Newt and Esther, and immediately got to work. Dr. Kashtin stood by, watching and evaluating. She had a serious look on her face, and a clipboard in hand. Her breathing had picked up a bit, but she was really good at hiding it.

One of the scientists, who was up by Newts head, grabbed a needle, and filled it up with some sort of red orange liquid. Newt was able to read his security tag. Dr. Fallon. He squirted some of the liquid out the top to drain any air. What was it with these people and needles? Do they ever use anything else? Oh, spikes. Right.

" What's that? " Newt asked. He did prefer to know what was being put in him.

" Don't worry, kid, " Dr. Fallon replied. " You'll be ok. "

Newt hated it when people answered him like that. One of the scientists grabbed his head, turned it away from Dr. Fallon, and held him down. Dr. Fallon pushed the needle through Newt's neck, and injected the liquid. The scientists let Newt's head go, while somebody else wrote something down on a clipboard.

Newt jerked his head away, and tried to move it around. The liquid had stiffened his neck up instantly. His mouth went dry almost immediately as well. Not just from lack of water, but there was literally no moisture at all. So because his mouth went dry, his throat also ended up dry. Really dry. So dry that it hurt to breathe. His eyes started to burn, and his vision got blurry. Pretty soon, it felt like his eyes were on fire, and things started to back out, as well as being blurry. Not to mention that his eyes were watering a ton, too. His body started to shake like an earthquake. He couldn't control it. Hell, he couldn't control anything right now. He was totally vulnerable to whatever WICKED had planned for him.

Not long after they had started on him, he heard Esther struggling against her restraints. Then he heard the sound of electricity. But no screaming. He was beginning to wonder if they were actually electrocuting her or not. But when the electricity stopped, he heard her gasping for air. ' Wow, ' he thought. ' She's tougher than I thought. ' They continued to electrocute her, and she remained silent the whole time.

* * *

Thomas, Minho, and the three other runners from yesterday met up by the west door at sunrise. They stood there, anxiously waiting for them to open up. It wasn't too long before the ground started shaking, and the rumble was heard echoing throughout the Glade. The doors pulled apart, and the five sprinted through.

They ran around corners, between narrow passages, and over vines. All of them looking hard for some hint of Newt. They ran all day, only stopping for three, five minute breaks. Night fell before anybody knew it, and they sprinted back for the west door. A Griever could be heard following them, so hey picked up the pace. As they turned a corner, the Griever just kept going straight. Relief flooded the group. They wouldn't have to reroute.

The group ran out of the Maze, and Thomas and Minho headed back for the Homestead. They were almost there, when Thomas found himself flying backwards, and landing hard on the ground. He immediately pushed himself back up, and stood up to see Gally now up in his face. Minho had stopped running, and dashed back over.

" Gally, " Minho said, grabbing Gally's arm to pull him away from Thomas.

Gally jerked his arm out of Minho's grip. " Who do you think you are?! " He nearly screamed. " You think you're special? That you're the one who's gonna find him? "

Thomas tried to back up, but Gally just kept getting closer. " No. I'm just trying to help. I want to find him just like all of you. "

" No you don't! You don't know him! You've been here, what, a few days? "

" Gally, calm down, " Minho said.

" No! I know who you are, shuck face! And you probably know where he is! You probably took him! "

" What are you talking about? " Thomas was really confused now.

Gally shoved Thomas again. Minho ran infront of Gally as he walked back up to Thomas. " He has nothing to do with this, " Minho stated, putting a hand on Gally's chest to stop him. " He was sent up just like the rest of us. "

" No! He has everything to do with this! " Gally shoved Minho off to the side. " I saw him! "

* * *

 **So there's chapter four. Please please please review! I would love to know what you guys are thinking of it so far! Or if you have questions, I'm happy to answer them. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I don't have anything to say for this one, so I'm just gonna start. Enjoy!**

* * *

The injection had finally started to wear off. Newt's vision had cleared up a bit, and his eyes didn't burn quite as bad. His mouth was still dry, but it wasn't that bad. His body had stopped shaking, which he was very thankful for. It had caused his leg to shake with the metal spike, which as you can probably imagine, didn't feel too good. He could hear that they had stopped electrocuting Esther too. She was panting pretty hard, but hadn't made a sound.

" Well, " Dr. Fallon said, after talking with the scientist who had worked on Esther, Dr. Jelling. " You two passed that one with flying colors. "

" You mean there's more? " Esther gasped, trying to cover the despair in her voice.

Newt couldn't blame her. He was feeling the despair, too. If the tests were going to be like this...Well...They were in for a ride in hell. That's all that Newt could think of.

He saw Dr. Kashtin join Dr. Fallon and Dr. Jelling. They all whispered over a clipboard, exchanged looks, then split again. Dr. Kashtin took her spot of monitoring again, while Dr. Fallon and Dr. Jelling walked back over to Newt and Esther.

" Ok, kid, " Dr. Fallon said, standing by Newt's head again. " This may not feel too good. "

Newt just stared up at the ceiling. ' What bloody thing has? ' He thought.

Dr. Fallon pressed a button on the side of the table, and the pike started to lower back into the table. Dr. Fallon was right. It certainly ' didn't feel too good' . Newt held his breath, and clenched his jaw as the metal slid back through his leg, and into the table. A huge, crimson hole was revealed, which a few scientists quickly started to bandage. They didn't want him bleeding out.

" That's better, " Dr. Fallon said after Newt's leg was wrapped up. " Now, for your next test. "

" Wait, " Newt gasped. The pain in his leg had spiked because of whatever ointments they had put in his wound. " Will you please just tell us what all these buggin tests are for? "

" That is classified information. If you know, then it ruins everything. "

Newt could hear Esther's breathing pick up. He could tell that she was getting really annoyed with these people. So was he. They were giving them no answers. At all. Except for the tiny bit that Ava Paige had.

Dr. Fallon gave a slight nod to Dr. Jelling, who gave a slight nod to the scientist standing closest to Esther. Newt lifted his head up to see, and was horrified to see the scientist holding a knife. Without hesitation, the scientist stabbed the knife into Esther's shoulder. She let out a gasp of surprise, but held back a scream. Newt fought his restraints, but it was no use. He saw the scientist grab another knife.

" No! " Newt shouted. " What are you doing? "

Without responding, the scientist jabbed the knife into Esther's arm. Esther clenched her jaw, and her hands turned into tight fists. The jostling from being stabbed made her shoulders start to burn like crazy again. The scientist stabbed her in the leg, and right above her hip before he went back through, and pulled all the knives out of her. Newt had been struggling to get free the whole time. He thought that they were going to run another test on him. Not Esther.

Dr. Kashtin, Dr. Fallon, and Dr. Jelling huddled back up, and looked over their clipboards. They muttered some things, exchanged different looks, nodded, and turned back around to Newt and Esther. The three scientists had big grins on their faces. It made Newt want to throw up. He had a feeling that Esther was in the same boat.

He looked over at her, and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. She had blood pouring out of her shoulder, arm, hip, and thigh. Her face was pretty neutral, but Newt could tell that she was trying to hide the pain. She was hanging on the rack, limp. Too weak to hold herself up. But there was still fire in those beautiful, chestnut eyes. She hadn't given up. Not yet.

" Well, " Dr. Kashtin said. " You two have passed those tests beautifully. We just have one more, and then we'll be done. "

Dr. Fallon walked up to Newt, holding a small blowtorch. The scientist grinned, and turned it on.

* * *

Thomas and Minho were just staring at Gally. How could he have _seen_ Thomas? It didn't make any sense. Minho slowly walked up to Gally, but stopped when Gally shot him a cold glare. He slightly lifted his hands up, trying to calm Gally down.

" What do you mean you saw him? " Minho asked.

" The Changing, " Gally replied. " He was standing over Thomas, knife in hand.

Minho's eyes went wide. " That had to be somebody else. "

Thomas just stared up at Gally. terrified, and now very confused. " The Changing? What's that? "

" It was him! " Gally shouted. " He's the reason we're here! and he's the reason Newt's missing! "

" Gally, it's not his fault, " Minho stated.

" Yeah, " Thomas stammered. " I have no idea..."

" Slim it shuck face! " Gally exclaimed. " You may have them fooled, but I know who you are! " With that he raised the knife above his head, and rammed it down towards Thomas's stomach.

" Gally, no! " Minho exclaimed, running for Gally.

Thomas rolled out of the way just in time for the knife to miss his stomach, and slice through his arm. Minho tackled Gally to the ground, which broke out into a huge fist fight. Winston ran over to help Minho, but was taken down by another Glader who was on Gally's side. Before Thomas knew what was happening, the Glade was in a massive fist fight, with him stuck in the middle. It had happened. The Gladers had turned on eachother. Chaos was everywhere.

Chuck had managed to stay out of the way when the fight broke out. he ran as fast as he could to the Homestead. He burst through the door, calling for Alby. He ran into a smaller room where he found Alby talking with Teresa.

" Alby! It's total chaos out there! " Chuck gasped.

Alby looked up at Chuck. He had heard things get crazy, but had no idea what was happening. " Chuck, what's going on? "

" Well, the runners came back and Gally pushed Thomas and said that he had seen him but Thomas didn't know what he was talking about so Gally tried to kill him but then Minho tackled Gally and Winston tried to help but was taken down by somebody else and now they're all fighting! " Chuck sucked in a deep breath. He had said all of that without pausing.

Alby stood up, and headed outside. Chuck and Teresa followed close behind. Things had gotten fifty times worse since Chuck had left to get Alby. It was just one big pile of boys punching and kicking eachother. Blood spots were scattered across the dirt from bleeding noses, minor cuts, and various other things. Teresa and Chuck exchanged horrified glances as they watched the scene unravel. What had once been the peaceful Glade was now a fighting ring with everybody participating.

Alby let out an ear piercing whistle. The fighting immediately stopped, and all eyes fell on him. " What are you slintheads doing? " Alby said. " I know that Newt's disappearance is a big hit on all of you, but it doesn't call for fighting! We have a Glade to take care of, and I expect you all to do that! So get off eachother, and get back to work! Minho, Gally, and Thomas, come with me! "

The Gladers scattered back to their jobs, while Minho, Gally, and Thomas emerged from the middle. The three headed for the Homestead, all of them not saying a word. Teresa got next to Thomas, and noticed the cut on his arm.

" What happened? " She asked in a whisper.

" Don't worry about it, " Thomas replied.

* * *

 **So there's chapter five. Please review! I would highly appreciate it! Thanks guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody! We are nearing the end of our story! I really hope that you all have enjoyed it so far. I would still love to know what you guys think of Esther, and the other scientists. I wasn't sure how they would all work with the story. So here's chapter six. Enjoy!**

* * *

Alby stopped in the main room of the Homestead, and turned to face the group that followed in behind him. " Now who's gonna tell me what happened out there? "

" You can't trust this shank, " Gally said, pointing at Thomas. " He's the reason for all of this. "

Minho was about to say something, but Alby gave him a look that told him not to. So he just crossed his arms, and looked down at the ground as usual.

" Listen, Gally, " Alby started. " Now is not the time to start pulling these kinds of things. I don't have time to deal with your hatred towards Thomas. So you're just gonna have to suck it up for now. "

" But he's the reason..." Gally started.

" I don't want to hear it. Now get the Builders back to work. "

Giving a large, angry huff, Gally stormed out. Alby turned to Minho, and gave him the look of, ' so what happened? '. Minho slightly looked up, looked over at Thomas, then back at Alby.

" Gally had an outburst, " Minho replied simply. " Said that he saw Thomas during the Changing. "

Alby's eyebrows raised, and he looked over at Thomas. He sighed and turned back to Minho. " We'll deal with that later. " Alby knew that it was important, but he was so tired of the Gladers breaking into fights, and worried sick about Newt. His top priority right now was to find Newt, so that, maybe, the Glade could go back to what it had been. Although, something told him that the Glade would never be the same.

It was now almost dark, and the Gladers were turning in for the night. Thomas laid in his hammock, wide awake yet again. Everything that had happened that day had worn him out, but his mind was swarmed with questions. How had Gally seen him? What was the Changing? Why did Gally think that he was the reason for all of this? Where was Newt? Was he dead? So many questions, and no answers. Then he heard her.

 _' Thomas? Are you there? '_

 _' Yeah. '_ he replied. Communicating with Teresa telepathically was so calming.

 _' You ok? '_ She asked.

 _' I will be. You? '_

 _' Alright, I suppose. Why did Gally say that he saw you? '_

 _' I don't know. He mentioned the Changing, but I have no idea what that is. '_

 _' He said that it's your fault. '_

 _' I know. I just don't know why. Or how. I would never send somebody to this place. '_

 _' What do you think is going to happen now? '_

 _' I don't know. '_

* * *

Newt stared up at the ceiling. He watched through his peripherals as Dr. Fallon tuned on the blowtorch. The bright blue flame shot out, and flickered tauntingly. One of the other scientists came over, and ripped Newt's shirt open, revealing his toned abdomen and muscular shoulders.

" I swear I'll snap your neck if you touch him with that thing, " Esther said threateningly. Even after everything she had been through there was still strength in her voice.

Dr. Fallon ignored her, and hovered the blue flame over Newt's chest. " Now hold still, and try not to panic. This will either go really fast, or really slow. It's up to you."

Newt just stared at the ceiling. He had nothing to say to these people. His glare got harder as he felt the scorching flames of the blowtorch begin to burn his chest. The longer that Dr. Fallon held the flame there, the shallower Newt's breaths got. It hurt to breathe. Pretty soon his chest was jerking up and down in short, raspy pants. He heard Esther protest, but it sounded more like a faint mumble to him.

Finally, after what felt like forever, (but was probably only a few seconds), Dr. Fallon pulled the flame off of Newt. There was a deep, black burn that had blood trickling out of it. Before he knew it, he felt his shoulder start to burn. He kept his glare locked on the ceiling, and his jaw clenched. He was going to show these people that they couldn't break him. No matter what they put him through.

Dr. Fallon turned the blowtorch off after the fifth burn. The scientists grabbed clipboards, put files away, and did some other miscellaneous things before they all left. Pretty soon it was only Dr. Kashtin, Dr. Fallon, and Dr. Jelling left.

" Well Newt and Esther, " Dr. Kashtin began. " We are all very impressed. You both did fantastic! We'll be back in a couple of hours or so. "

The three scientists left, leaving a burned Newt, and a bleeding Esther alone in the room. The only sound was the sound of their labored breathing. Esther was fully hanging from her restraints, unable to hold herself up. And Newt was slightly shaking again, which really didn't feel too good with his condition. They were both unable to speak, so they just hung and laid there in silence. That silence, though, was broken with a loud pop and a sharp gasp from Esther.

" Esther? " Newt asked in a barely audible voice. He was pretty sure what that pop was.

Esther took in several deep, pain filled breaths before she replied. " What? "

" Was that your..."

" Yeah. " She took in another deep breath, and grunted in pain.

Newt didn't know what to do. He wanted to get her down, but he obviously couldn't do that right now. Anger burned inside of him. How could they say that this is for the good of all people? How can torturing them, and putting them through more hell than the Maze be good for all people? Did they not count as people? None of this was right. None of it made sense. These people were whacked out monsters!

Another pop and grunt from Esther snapped Newt out of his thoughts. " Esther! "

" Don't worry, " she said. Her voice was so strained that Newt could barely understand her. She was taking slow, uneven, shaky breaths. " It was just my other one. "

Newt tried to lift his head up to look at her, but his neck was too weak. So he just gave the ceiling another hard glare. That was it. First chance he got he was going to beat the crap out of these people! He didn't care what it took.

" I'll get you out of here, " he said, fighting against his restraints.

" Newt. " Esther didn't want him to hurt himself more than he already was. " Newt! " Newt stopped. " Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. "

Newt was about to say something when the door opened, and Dr. Kashtin, Dr. Fallon, and Dr. Jelling walked in. Dr. Kashtin gave the two a big smile. " Ready to go back? "

* * *

 **So there's chapter six. Chapter seven might take a little bit longer to get up because it's not finished yet. I'm hoping to have it up tomorrow, but that might not happen. I don't know. Anyway, please review! I would love to hear your feedback! It really is very helpful. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Thank you sooo much for the reviews! You guys have been so encouraging! Here's chapter seven.** **Enjoy!**

* * *

Thomas had just barely fallen asleep when a loud siren came on. But not just a siren...The siren. For the box. Thomas pushed his way through the crowd, and found Alby, Minho, and unfortunately Gally all up at the front. Teresa pushed up to the front, and stood by Thomas just as the box could be heard hitting the top.

" Please don't tell me it's another greenie, " Thomas heard somebody say from behind him.

Everybody held their breath as Gally opened the doors. He jumped down with a thud, and everybody pushed in closer to see what it was. There was a long moment of silence. Nobody was even breathing.

" Somebody get the Med Jacks up here now! " Gally shouted, breaking the silence.

Alby and Minho sent the rope down. Gasps and chatter filled the air when an unconscious, bloody Newt was heaved out of the box. A small space was made as Alby pulled Newt from the edge. The two Med Jacks pushed their way through, and knelt down next to Newt.

" We need to get him to the Homestead, " Jeff said after taking a quick look at Newt.

Alby gave a slight nod, and looked over at Thomas. Thomas hurried over, and grabbed Newt's legs, while Alby grabbed Newt under the arms. They followed the Med Jacks back to the Homestead as fast as they could. When they arrived, they laid Newt down on the floor. The Med Jacks were pulling out different ointments and cloths to bandage him up. Thomas stood up, and backed away for the Med Jacks to have more room. Teresa, Chuck, and Minho came in, and stood by Thomas, while Gally crouched down by Alby.

" What the..." Jeff mumbled, looking at Newt's leg.

He unwrapped the bandage that was over Newt's leg, and a few loud gasps filled the room. Teresa's hand flew to her mouth as the huge, crimson hole in Newt's leg was uncovered. Jeff stared down at it, horror stricken. He was literally paralyzed in that moment.

" How bad is it? " Alby asked. He knew that it was bad, but he didn't know how deep it was.

" It-it..." Jeff couldn't speak. He was too horrified. " It goes...a-all the way...through. "

" Oh my gosh, " Teresa whispered under her breath. Tears started streaming down her face.

Jeff, snapping back to his job, grabbed thread and a needle, and started stitching it up. The other Med Jack took care of Newt's burns. When they were done, they took Newt upstairs, and laid him on the bed to recover. Alby took Jeff into a smaller room for them to talk in private.

" So? " Alby asked. " How bad? "

" Not fatal, " Jeff replied. " At least I don't think it is. " He wasn't a real doctor. He honestly didn't know what he was doing half the time. " The burns were pretty bad, but those will just need time to heal. "

" And his leg? "

" Well, that's the weird one. It was already bandaged, but that's not necessarily the strange part. What's weird is that there was ointments already on it. Like somebody had already taken care of his leg without stitching it up. "

A moment of silence passed. Alby knew what Jeff was implying, which made him excited and scared him at the same time. " You think that the Creators took him. "

Jeff nodded. It's the only thing that makes sense. He came back from the box, and his leg was already taken care of. "

" So then do you think that they're the ones who did that to him? Even though they wrapped it back up? "

" I don't know. By this point, nothing surprises me with these people. Personally, I don't think that it's too crazy to think that they would take him out, torture him, bandage his leg up so that he wouldn't bleed out, and send hi back. "

Alby thought about it. Jeff was right. That wasn't too shocking that the Creators would do something like that. The only question, though, is why? But that was the question for everything. So this would be no different.

A couple days passed, and Newt hadn't waken up yet. Jeff said that he wasn't dead, but that it could be a coma, or some sort of sedative. Still, Alby was worried. Everybody was.

Alby was talking with some of the Runners, when Chuck came running up to him. " He's awake! He's awake! "

Alby looked down at Chuck, then took off for the Homestead. He ran up the stairs, and into the room where he saw Newt on the bed, fighting against Jeff and Thomas, with Teresa on the side trying to calm him down.

" Where is she!? " Newt was shouting. " Where is she!? What did they do with her!? "

" Newt, it's ok, " Teresa was saying. " Calm down, and tell us who you're talking about. "

" Newt! " Alby said sharply. " Calm down. " He walked up, grabbed Newt's shoulder's, (where he wasn't burned), and pinned him against the wall.

" No! " Newt exclaimed, still struggling. " You don't understand! I have to know what they did with her! "

" Newt. Calm down before you hurt yourself. Then tell us who you're talking about. "

Newt reluctantly stopped struggling. He leaned his head back against the wall, and took a few deep breaths. " Esther. I don't know what they did with her. "

" Esther? Who's that? "

" They took her too. Tortured her. They knocked me out first. Said that they were gonna send us both back up. "

" What do you mean? " Alby, and everyone else in the room was super confused.

That's when Newt realized what he had just done. He wasn't allowed to say anything, and he had almost given away that there were two Mazes. " Umm...W-well...Nothing. It was just a d-dream. "

" A dream? "

" Yeah. One of those that feels so real, but isn't. "

" So a dream made you go crazy? "

Minho had just run up the stairs, and took a spot by Thomas. " What happened? " He whispered.

Thomas briefly explained everything that was going on, then listened back in on the conversation.

" I guess so, " Newt replied. " Look, I'm just tired. And hungry. My mind isn't working right now. " Newt hadn't realized how hungry he was until now. It had literally been days since he'd had anything to eat.

" Chuck, " Alby said.

Chuck had just come in when Alby said his name.

" Go get Frypan to cook something up for Newt. "

Chuck, sighing, turned around, and left to go get Frypan. He was beginning to get tired of running around everywhere, but he just kept reminding himself that it was for Newt. That gave him a bit more speed. He ran into the kitchen, and was running back out within ten minutes, tray of food in his hands. He ran upstairs, and handed the platter to Newt, who was leaning against the wall.

" Thanks Chuck, " Newt said, accepting the tray. " You wanna give me some company? " Everyone had left o go talk about everything, leaving Newt by himself in the room.

" Sure, " Chuck replied, smiling. He sat down in a chair, and slouched back. He was very happy to take a load off for a little bit.

" They been working you hard? " Newt asked with a smile. He just loved this kid!

Chuck nodded. " But it's alright. Besides, I don't think that I'm the one who should be complaining. " Chuck's smile faded as he looked at all of Newt's bandages.

Newt notice Chuck's change in attitude. " Hey, don't worry about me. It looks a lot worse than it is. " He smiled at Chuck, and tossed him one of the warm rolls from the tray.

Chuck caught the roll, and smiled back at Newt. Newt was the first one who really welcomed him. The first one to actually be nice, and understanding. Newt was the only one who hadn't laughed at him when he cried on the first day. Chuck had always seen Newt as an older brother.

* * *

 **So there's chapter seven. Chapter eight is probably gonna take a couple days to get up. I ended up with writer's block, and only have, like, the first paragraph done. Whoops. But I'll get it up as soon as possible, so just bear with me. Please keep the reviews coming! They are very much appreciated! Thanks guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Surprise! I had more time yesterday than I thought I would have, so I was able to finish chapter eight! It is short, but that's because it's the last chapter, and I just needed something to wrap it up. So here it is. Our last chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

That night, Alby guarded the door. He couldn't sleep anyway. He couldn't stop thinking about everything that Newt had said. Who was Esther? Why would the Creators have had her? What was she to the Creators? Why did Newt freak out so much over her? Why did he say that they were gonna send them both back up? Was this Esther supposed to be here too?

Alby rubbed over his face with his hands. Too many questions...Not enough answers. The sun was just starting to rise when he heard Newt stir. He walked in to see Newt sitting up, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Alby took a seat on the chair, and rested his elbows on his knees. Newt leaned back against he wall, wincing slightly as one of his burns rubbed against the bandage in the wrong both sat there in complete silence for a moment. Newt knew what Alby was going to ask, so he tried to come up with excuses, or fake stories. He wasn't sure. He just needed something. He wasn't willing to risk the other Gladers going through the hell that he and Esther had gone through.

" What happened,Newt? " Alby finally asked. " Where did they take you? What did they do to you? And who is Esther? "

Newt took a few more moments to think up of his story. Then he began. " Well, I was over by the south door, when something shot me. I'm assuming it was a tranquilizer dart. Anyway, I saw a Griever standing by the door just before I blacked out. "

" A Griever? Right at the south door? "

" Yeah. But it was just standing there. It seemed to be waiting for me to pass out. Anyway, next thing I know, I'm waking up on some kind of table. They came in, put a spike through my leg, put some weird sort of liquid in me, and burned me. Then they sent me back up. " None of it was a lie. He just left out mostly everything.

" Were you able to get any answers? " Alby felt bad not being more sympathetic towards the torture part, but he knew that Newt was ok, and that they didn't really need to talk about that. Plus the way that Newt said it was kind of like he was just blowing it off. So Alby decided to just ask about everything else instead.

" No. I asked, but they ignored me. " Also not a lie. He just left out the whole Ava Paige thing. She hadn't been super helpful anyway.

" And Esther? What did she have to do with it? "

" She was a dream. Every night I would have a dream that she was there, being tortured too. " That was far from a lie. Esther was a dream. At least she was too good to be real. Newt had never met anybody that made him feel the way Esther did. He was pretty sure that that was true for his former life as well.

Alby gave him a look, which Newt just blew off. There was no way that he could bring Esther into the mix without mentioning that there was a second Maze. Alby rubbed his hands over his face one more time, and stood up.

" Ok. There should always be somebody outside the door if you need anything, " Alby said.

" Thanks. And Alby...I'm sorry that I couldn't give you more answers. " Newt did feel bad about not giving the information. But he reminded himself that it was to protect the others. And he didn't feel too bad, because he hadn't lied once. He just withheld a bit. (More like everything.) But that was it.

" Don't worry 'bout it. Just focus on recovering. The Gladers need you. " with that, Alby walked out.

The day went by pretty smoothly. Nothing of any excitement happened. Nearly everybody stopped in to see Newt. But Chuck spent the most time with him. They sat there laughing, and talking about everything that was going on. And Newt told Chuck all about Esther. (Of course he made it sound like she was just a dream. But still, it was nice to talk about her.)

" Wow, " Chuck said when Newt finished. " She sounds awesome. Too bad she's not real. "

" Yeah. " Newt looked down at the bed, and smiled. Which quickly faded. " I'm just worried about her. They said that they would send her back up, but I just don't trust them. " He looked up to see Chuck staring at him, a confused look across his face. " I mean, it felt so real. Sometimes I forget that it wasn't. " It was a lame excuse, but he knew that Chuck would go with it.

Chuck just slouched back in the chair. He didn't really care how strange it sounded. " Well, I should probably get going. It's getting late. "

" Ok Chuck. See ya tomorrow? " Newt asked.

A big grin spread across Chuck's face. " Yeah. " He turned around, and left.

A few weeks passed, and Newt got better every day. Soon he was back to his normal self again. (Just a slightly more obvious limp now.) The Glade had gone back to normal for the most part. There was still what Gally had said about Thomas. Tension was still strongly felt, but having Newt back seemed to help ease it a little. Alby still tried to get Newt to tell him who Esther was, but gave up after the third week. It was clear that he wasn't going to get a different answer out of Newt.

Things went on as normal, until one day, when Thomas ran into the Maze, and got trapped in there with Minho and Alby.

* * *

 **So there's the last chapter. Thank you sooo much for the reviews! You guys have been seriously awesome! And because of that, if you guys want, I was thinking about making a sequel. It would take a little bit to get up, 'cause I've already started on another story, but if you guys want it, I'll start when I'm done. Plus I felt bad dropping Esther like that. You guys gave me some really good feedback on her, so I want to bring her back. So tell me what you think! Five yeses and I'll write the sequel. Thanks!**


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